This awkward UI behavior could be replicated just by going into any existing Smart Playlist on your My Playlists page and selecting to Edit it, but for demonstration purposes, I just created a duplicate of a Smart Playlist by going Copy… Copy Here on the contextual menu. So I get this (1):
Now I’ll go to the contextual menu of my newly created Smart Playlist and I’ll select Edit… I’m brought to an Edit playlist dialog, where I could, for instance, rename my playlist, and then of course I’d go Edit Focus so I can tinker with its smart settings (2):
Clicking Edit Focus will take me to another dialog screen Edit Album Focus, so I can make my changes, then I’d press Save to save them (3):
But pressing Save on Edit Album Focus (3) will not return me to Edit playlist (2), from which I instanced it. It’ll save the Album Focus modifications I’ve made and take me right back to My Playlists, ignoring all modifications I’ve previously made on Edit playlist (2). So it’d show me this (4):
Pressing Cancel on Edit Album Focus (3) will do the same, but of course will ignore any modifications made on both screens.
I think this is clunky/unintended UI behavior. Saving or Cancelling Edit Album Focus (3) should bring me back to the dialog I was when I opened it (Edit playlist, (2)), so I can then choose to save or cancel previous modifications, like renaming and/or moving the playlist.
Edit Playlist (2) presents a top down list of 4 options: Rename playlist; move it; Edit Focus; Delete it. Apart from Delete which is a straightforward action and has its own button, it’s expected user behavior to go through each option and make all intended modifications before selecting Save or Cancel, but the interface will throw you out if you choose to Edit Focus.
I do not think this is a feature suggestion at all, at least it wasn’t intended as such. I believe I’ve described a bug on the user interface behavior.
I don’t think it’s working as designed, Carl. The Edit Focus dialog should return the user to the dialog where it was called from. This is basic UI design. It shouldn’t ignore previous user input and go back two steps when closed. This is by definition a bug.
Calling it clunky was perhaps a slight underestimation on my part since it’s a very minor user inteface bug, but it is still so. I’m requesting no feature to be added or changed. I’m describing how the interface is working and why this is improper behaviour. I think I’ve exhausted all I have to say on the matter. Maybe support will view it as such, I’ll leave it up to them.
Anyways I’m thankful for your prompt attention, even if I strongly disagree with your moving/classifing this report as a feature suggestion. Cheers.
Personally, I would argue to remove the Edit Focus button from the Edit Screen in your Pic 2. There is already an Edit Focus button at the top of the playlist
